Tucker



H. PAXTON Oct. 22, 1935.

TUCKER Filed Feb. 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l //v VEN 702 fio/e paxfon H T Toe/var H. PAXTON Oct. 22, 1935.

TUCKER Filed Feb. 13, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,4 T TOE/V5 K Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE tion of Calif Application February 13, 1931, Serial No. 515,509

3 Claims. (Cl. 1--10) when the contents are heaped up above the top of the case in which is known as a crown pack." A feature of that invention was embodied in means for automatically tucking the superposed contents of the box inward between the box and the lid as the latter is pressed into contact with the box to'permit its ends to be nailed thereto.

It is an object of my invention to provide a box lidder or cover press having an improved means for tucking the superposed contents of the box between the lid and the box during the application of the lid. I

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a tucking means which will be automatically operated by contact with the box.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifestin the following description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an automatic box lidder embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, and illustrating the operation of the aforesaid lidder.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged detail sectional views taken on the lines 44' and 5-.5 respectively of Fig. 2 and illustrating the operation of my invention. r

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating in detail the parts of the invention in the same positions in which they are shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detailed view of a modified form of tucker roller of my invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of my invention comprises 38. Also secured on the standards 32 are box guides '42.

- The conveyer The box receiving conveyer 21 includes a framework 45 having inner and outer longitudinal members 48 and 41 connected rigidly by anvil bars 49 and 50. Rigidly connected to lower surfaces of the anvil bars 49 and 50 is a relatively heavy lifting bar 5!. Secured to opposite ends of the longitudinal bar 46 are cylindrical slide shafts 55. Extending downwardly from opposite ends of the bar 41 is a vertical bracing framework 55. opposite side members 51 of which extend downwarifly, diagonally and are connected at their lower ends to the slide shafts s5. 15

Suspended from the anvil bars 49 and 59 by bolts 60 having compression springs 6| is a depressible roller conveyer frame 53. Provided on the frame 63 are conveyer rollers 68.

Secured in a suitable opening at a middle 20 point in the lower surface of the lifting bar 51 is a piston rod 19 of a hydraulic cylinder 1| which is disposed on a vertical axis and rests upon the solid frame cross bar 3!.

Owing to the spring mounting of the frame 53 25 on the conveyer frame-work 45 the rollers, 58 may be pressed downwardly as by a box 15 resting on the conveyer 21 until opposite ends 16 of the box will come to rest on the anvil bars 43 and 50. Provided on the conveyer 21 is a stop 39 18 which is adapted to halt a box 15 when this is rolled onto the conveyer 21 in a particular position for a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

'The stop 18 may be of any desired character and, while not illustrated as such in this case, it is 35 preferably arranged to operate in the same manner as the box stop mechanism 12 disclosed in my aforementioned copending application.

The lid applying mechanism o applying mechanism 28 should this be desired.

Mounted on inner faces of each of the plates 88 is a series of nailing chucks 90 in each of which I is operated one of a series of nailing plungers 9|. Means (not shown) for operating these plungers 88 is provided on the upper ends of the standards 32. Also secured to the plates 00 is a pair of cover receiving and fruit tucking mechanisms I00.

The ifruit tucking mechanisms Each of the mechanisms I00 has a pair of supports IOI which-are secured to the inner face of oneof the plates 80 and to the lower end of which is secured a lid compressing bar I05. Extending into recesses in adjacent faces of the supports IN is a shaft I 05 of a cover receiving means I01 having a stem plate I08 which extends downwardly outside of the bar I05 and underneath this bar where it is provided with a cover latch IIO. Each of the latches IIO has a cover supporting shoulder III from which a guide apron II2 extends downwardly. The forward end of each latch H0 is bent outwardly so as to guide into place a cover shoved between opposite latches IIO from the front of the lidding machine 25. Secured at opposite ends as by screws II5 to the supports MI is a strap IIO having a tongue II'I formed centrally thereon which is bent downwardly and supports one end of a tension spring IIO, the opposite end of which extends'through suitable openings in the stem plate I08 so as to yieldably urge the latch II 0 towards its inwardmost position.

The cover compressing bar I05 has a bevelled inner face I 20 for a purpose which will become evident hereinafter. Opposite ends of this bar are provided with downwardly extending legs I2I, each of which has a stop I22 extending inwardly therefrom. Secured to the upper face of the bar I05 are a pair of rearwardly extending fingers I23 'the purpose of which will be made evident hereinafter.

Pivotally supported between lower ends of the legs I2I is one of a pair of fruit tuckers I25. This tucker includes a pair of arms P20 each of which is pivotally secured to an inner face of one of formed of sections of pipe I34 provided with plugs;l35 in their ends, from which plugs the trunnions I29 extend axially. Each pair of arms I20 is adapted to have their downward movement limited to the position in which they are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, as by lugs I40 extending outwardly from upper extensions Ill provided on these arms. The lugs I bear against outer edges of the legs III. This downward position of the arms I20 is reached when the lugs I40 come against-outer edges ofthe legs I2I.. Yieldably urging each tucker I25 toward its downward position is a pair of tension springs I lower ends of which are secured to pins I40 on the extensions I of the arms I20, the upper ends of these springs being hooked into suitable eyes formed in the fingers I23.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The automatic lidder 25 illustrated in the drawings is designed especially for use in lidding lettuce crates crown packed-in the usual manner with the lettuce extending up above the top of the crate. The box I5 illustrated in the drawings represents a standard lettuce crate. packing lettuce in this crate, paper linings I00 are laid in the crate and after the lettuce is packed Before in the box so that it is heaped up thereabove the linings I60 are folded over this lettuce.

The crates I5 are collected on an endless conveyer from which they are discharged one at a time onto the elevating conveyer 21 of the lidder 5 25, each box thus fed coming to rest against the stop III in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1. While the crate I5 is thus moving into position a cover IE5 is manually picked up from a stack and shoved into the lidder 25 between the cover latches IIO so as to be supported by the shoulders III thereof. If it happens to be more convenient, the cover I05 may be first positioned. underneath the tuckers I25 and see-sawed into place, first lifting one end and shoving it into 15 place against one of the latches H0 and then pushing this latch outwardly enough to permit the opposite end of the cover to be lifted straight upwardly and released into place supported on the shoulder III of the other latch H0.

The operator now actuates mechanism for supplying oil to the hydraulic cylinder II to cause this to lift the conveyer 21 and the filled crate I5 resting thereon. This operating mechanism, although not shown in this case, is illustrated in 25 my copending application, Ser. No. 554,213 filed July 31, 1931, upon which Letters Patent of the United ,States'No. 1,947,917 were granted February 20, 1934.

As the top of the crate I5 approaches the 30 tuckers I25 the tucker rollers I30 come into contact with the lettuce extending above the crate so as to tuck this inwardly over the crate to a certain degree. After the box has come into contact with the rollers I30, however, the tuckers 35 I25 are caused to swing about their pivotal axes on the bolts I21, so as to accomplish a secondary inward tucking operation on the endmost pieces of the top layer of lettuce. This is best illusv trated in Fig. 5. At this point in the opera-"4,0 tion the cover I 05 has been contacted by the lettuce and lifted upwardly against the bevelled faces I 20 of the cover compressing bars I05 so that the cover is commencing to take an arcuate shape and is pressing the lettuce, which was just 45 tucked inwardly, downwardly into the crate 15. The completion of this series of operations is shown in Fig. 6, where the box I5 has been lifted upwardly to completely arch the cover I05 thus forcing the endmost rows of the upper layer of lettuce downwardly into the crate.

As the upper end of the crate I5 extends upwardly beyond the axis about which the tucker I20 swings. the tucker roller I30 is expelled outwardly from between the box and the cover I 05 so that the cover may come into contact with the box end and be nailed thereon as shown in Fig. 6. This figure also shows how the tucker arms I20 come up against the stops I22 so that the tucker rollers I30 will positively bear against 00 the box ends I5 and center the crate with respect to the cover I 05 so that the cover will be properly positioned on the crate 15 when nailed thereto. Means is provided by which the operator, by depressing a pedal, may cause the drivers 05 II to simultaneously drive nails through the cover I05 into the crate ends I0. Although not shown in this application, such means is well known in the art and representative means for this purpose may be seen in my Patent No. 1,947,917. In said patent the control means is also arranged so that as soon as the box is lidded the conveyer 21 automatically moves downwardly and the box is ejected therefrom. When this takes place the rollers I30 merely roll over the ends of the covaomoea 3 ered crate, 'returnin'g to the positions In which they are shown in Fig. i.

From the foregoing description it is seen that I have provided an extremely simple lid W 5 ing and material tucking means which operates automatically and which centers the crate relative v to the cover during the nailing of the cover them-.- to. It is also clear that this device cannot possibly cause serious accidental injury tothe operator 1Q oi. a lidder in which the device is embodied.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a'modifled form of roller I88 which is adapted to take the place of the roller I38 in the mechanism above described. The

roller I88 is formed in separate sections III and 5 I82 which are separated by discs I 83 of slightly larger diameter than the rollers I8 and I82. The roller is mounted upon a shaft I 8 having end studs I86 which pass through suitable apertures in the'tucker arms I26 and are secured rigidly thereto as by nuts I88. The advantage of the roller I80 is that the discs I88 extend beyond the periphery of the roller sections "I and I82 so as to contact the upperjend of a crate I5, thus permitting the roller "sections IN and 5 I82 to rotate freely when in contact with the paper I68 covering the lettuce in the crate.

As the roller sections I8I and I82 comprise almost the entire surface of the roller I88, triction between the roller I88 and the paper I68 30 which might cause undue wrinkling of the latter is practically eliminated.

The term presser head when used in the claims broadly indicates that portion of the overhead structure which cooperates with the nailing table in pressing the lid upon a box resting on said table. The tucker support means or legs Iil are rigidly mounted on the presser head. While they are here shown in the form of depending legs, this support means may consist of any suitable structure for supporting the tuckers by connection 7 with the tucker arm means I26 on axes disposed outwardly away from over the box when the lat- .ter is positioned on the tabledor lidding.

-shown. as separate mechanical elements in the 5 disclosed embodiment. various modifications may i be made in the structure of these elements with out departing from the spirit 0!- the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

' What I claim is: 10

1. In combination: a box support: a lid presse head disposed th'ex'eabove; means for accurately positioning a box longitudinally on said box support: end .tu'ckers. normally disposed over end portions of said box when the latter is positioned III as aforesaid; arm means extending outwardly from said tuckers when the latter are normally positioned: tucker support means rigidly mounted on said presser head, said tucker arm means being pivotally connected to said support means on axes 20 disposed outwardly from over said box, inward and outward movement of said tuckers being limited substantially tolthose movements thereof which are occasioned by rotation of said arm means about said pivotal connections: and means 25 causing relative movement between said head and 1 saidbox support to press a lid on said box, said tuckers being actuated to tuck the overflow inwardly and then withdraw from over said box ends by engagement s: said tuckers with said box and said overflow incidental to said relative vertical movement.

2. A combination as in claim 1 in which said arm means also extend upwardly in normal posi- 

